mike W.'s Passions

mike W.'s Bio

Familiarity:
I've used it several times

These worked great on cross country, but kept slipping when I went riding a true downhill course at Sunrise Ski Park, AZ. I had to stop all of the time to readjust. The only time I got them to stay up, the forearm part cut off blood circulation, then my hands and arms would go numb.

The forearm straps are the problem. They are in the wrong place ( too far down the arm) and not flexible - and are also awkward to tighten because they have no give, and are poorly designed.

What's interesting is that, unlike the forearm strap, the bicep strap is designed to flex, but is too long and cannot be tightened enough.

So, why rate them 3 stars? Well, because I did crash 3 times, and my elbows were totally protected, but lucky, I readjusted these right before each crash.

Familiarity:
I've used it several times

Not too much to say. I measured my head at 58.5 cm / 23 inches and ordered a medium. It fits perfectly - but I do have a shaved head - so you full mop guys may want to consider a larger size.

Super light weight, very comfortable and breathable. Im not sold on the MIPS technology because is seems redundant - unless you have glued the helmet to your bald head. MIPS offers a "slip" between your scalp and the interior of the helmet - protecting your cranium from "rolling" hits - not direct impacts. In my mind, your hair offers the same protection as MIPS because it simply allows the helmet to "slip" around your skull during a rolling impact.

Whatever - Im not a scientist, MIPS just seems to be over sold in my opinion. They make it sound really technical, but it's not.

This is my first Fox brand helmet and I am very impressed. I started Enduro and DH biking a few years ago and bought a Giro full-face. At the time, I though it was good enough, but the build quality and fit of the Fox is simply in a higher category over Giro. I measured my head per the guidelines at 58.8 cm, ordered a large and got a perfect fit. I didnt realize that the Giro was so loose until I put on the Fox.

Very breathable and not too heavy (for a full face) I was hoping with the carbon build that it would weigh less, but I honestly think it weighs slightly more than my Giro fiberglass. I did have to research quite a bit for someone to finally share the weight - which I think was around 1,100 grams

Anyway - I think the MIPS upgrade is over rated. The reason is, the MIPS technology is just a thin layer of plastic between your skull and the interior of the helmet. MIPS simply allows the helmet to slide around to reduce the brunt of a "rolling" hit on your skull. I think in this helmet MIPS is not necessary because the cussion/sweat liner is already free floating from the interior helmet, offering the same "slip" on a rolling hit that MIPS does.

That's my opinion, but I'm not a head impact scientist - just providing my 2 cents